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Women’s Empowerment and Global Value Chain Upgrading Post-COVID 19: The case of women weavers in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia
This project examines how traditional weaving practices in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, contribute to women’s empowerment, poverty reduction, and community resilience. It argues that women weavers face limited access to materials, education, information, markets, and business networks as well as unstable income. These limitations were visible during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study fills a gap in research by connecting the study of women’s empowerment with the study of upgrading in Global Value Chains (GVCs). The questions it raises are how weaving supports women economically, socially, and culturally; how the pandemic has affected weavers’ livelihoods and resilience; and what sort of upgrading can strengthen weaving communities while preserving cultural values.
By using a qualitative method through grounded theory approach, this study will combine observation, in-depth interviews, visual ethnography, and secondary data analysis. Participants will include traditional weavers, intermediaries, government officials, community organisations, and NGOs at the local level. This field research will compare and contrast Lepo Lorun in Nita Village-Sikka, where cooperative action is important, with Bena Village in Ngada, where tourism-based markets influence weaving activities.
The main contribution of this study is the proposed framework that integrates women’s empowerment with GVC upgrading. The goal is to show how power dynamics and market access shape the value captured by women, while also aiming to show the central role of culture in the long-term sustainability of traditional weaving communities.
Principal supervisor: Associate Professor Tom Barnes
Co-supervisor: Professor Xiaoying Qi
Co-supervisor: Dr Rachel Davis